Accident data recorders are known from prior art. Thus for example DE 42 21 280 C2 describes an accident data recorder with a ring memory, in which the image data produced by an imaging camera are saved. On the occurrence of a triggering event data stops being saved in the ring memory after a specified period so that it can be read to evaluate the details of an accident. In addition to the image data, other data relevant to the reconstruction of the details of the accident are also saved, such as the driving parameters, the vehicle operating status data and driver status data.
Furthermore, from DE 199 39 468 A1 a method is known for controlling the recording activity of an accident data recorder in motor vehicles. In this method to control the recording activity of the accident data recorder safety systems provided in the vehicle are taken into consideration, in that the video signal is analyzed and evaluated according to a predefined schema and/or an evaluation signal is produced. The evaluation signal is used to determine a time period for the recording activity of the accident data recorder by means of a characteristic map. Thus data are used from a safety system of the vehicle which have been obtained in connection with road recognition, dynamic steering support, object recognition, road sign recognition, or an automatic headlight control. Internal vehicle data, such as an airbag signal, vehicle speed, a braking signal, a driving direction signal, an acceleration signal, or a motor position signal enter into the generation of the characteristic map for determining the time period of recording activity.
The recording of data also includes data about the position of the vehicle, such as the road width, road curvature, a lateral position of the vehicle relative to the lane edges, a yaw angle, a pitch angle, and a roll angle of the vehicle. Furthermore, such data can also relate to the surroundings of the vehicle, such as road signs, road condition, position, size, distance, and relative speed of other objects, for example cars, pedestrians, and motorbikes.
A disadvantage of these known methods is that a large storage capacity is needed to carry out said methods.